Infographics

I love infographics. If you don’t know, infographics are a new method of displaying data or information about a topic. I like to think of them as charts that tell stories. Unlike a typical graph or business presentation – which requires someone to explain it – an infographic provides provides it’s own narration. One can look at a infographic and understand the data and what it means.

I am a very concrete-sequential person, so I appreciate infographics because they make the numbers and stories tangible and understandable. Just like how Prezi can transform how we see presentations, infographics transform how we communicate numbers and ideas. As you can see from NewSpring Church’s Annual Report, infographics can communicate all kinds of info, from finances to baptisms to church growth. Here are some ways you can use infographics in your ministry:

Already-Made Infographics

First, VisualUnit is a great website for free Bible and theology related infographics, useful for a youth ministry lesson, a small group discussion, or just helping a student or leader visually understand a particular concept. I especially like the infographic on the ages of Adam’s descendants.

GOOD Magazine also makes some killer infographics. They do an amazing job at explaining a complex idea in a simple, visual manner. Each page would likely take 2-3 pages of written explanation.

Create Your Own Infographics

While some of the best infographics are made by professional graphic designers, you can make your own with some powerful online tools. If you are looking for a quick way to make a slick single infographic, this might be the way to go.

Infogram is free and has some really slick designs that are easy to use. You can post it to Twitter/Facebook/Pinterest, and you can embed the infographics on a website. I only wish you could also export it for offline use.

Easelly is also free and has some great themes to use. I found it a little harder to use than Infogram, but the editing and design features are much more robust. You can also download your completed project as a jpeg. Easelly is currently in beta.